]]>http://theSUNK.com/2016/08/luke-cage-netflix-trailer.html/feed0Dating, Friendships, New Apartment: How to Measure Their Worth?http://theSUNK.com/2016/08/dating-friendships-new-apartment-how-to-measure-their-worth.html
http://theSUNK.com/2016/08/dating-friendships-new-apartment-how-to-measure-their-worth.html#commentsThu, 04 Aug 2016 15:43:12 +0000http://theSUNK.com/?p=4072I met someone recently whose company I did enjoy, however not too far into our friendship we began to argue about things that seemed neither one of us would agree upon. I wanted her around and to get to know her better, but I didn’t enjoy her inability to look at things from my point …

I met someone recently whose company I did enjoy, however not too far into our friendship we began to argue about things that seemed neither one of us would agree upon. I wanted her around and to get to know her better, but I didn’t enjoy her inability to look at things from my point of view. It made me ask myself, “Do I want to continue this relationship?” Also if I do or don’t, what is it’s worth to my life and my happiness. Then I found this NY Times article below:

In life, there are certain nonnegotiables we simply must have. Think food, water and shelter for starters. Nobody will ask, “Is it worth it to eat?” It’s just something you do to stay alive.

But deciding what to eat? That’s a different question.

Will I eat the bologna or prosciutto? Drink tap water or bottled? And anything discretionary — anything that has even the slightest element of choice in it — invariably deals with a question we find ourselves asking all the time.

“Is it worth it?”

That said, simply because no one can answer the question for you doesn’t mean that there are not clever ways to think about it. In particular, I’ve noticed three functional relationships that seem to help in identifying whether something is worth it or not: utility, enjoyment and cost.

Utility Last year, I wrote about a $5,000 road bike that I bought. The purchase seemed absolutely crazy at the time, but I did a little mental math and realized that if the bike lasted even twice as long as some comparable models, it would be worth buying. In fact, it has lasted far more than twice as long, and I’ve never looked back. So it was worth it because of how much use I got out of it.

Enjoyment If you do not enjoy something, it’s not going to be worth it. If the choice is between a cheap can of sardines or some wild-caught Alaskan salmon, regardless of the price, if you don’t eat it, neither one was worth it. If you happen to be partial to lox, you would most likely find the salmon to be completely worth it. The sardines, on the other hand, may find their way to the back of some cupboard and never be used. They may have been less expensive, but if you don’t enjoy them, they won’t be worth it.

Cost It’s not always the most expensive stuff that’s worth it (because of how, or how much, you use or enjoy it). It could just be the stuff that you have found incredibly valuable.

For example, I have this ice cream scooper that I absolutely love. It cost me under $10, I’ve had it for years, and every time I take it out I get this big smile on my face because it cost me so little. Sure, I enjoy it and use it, but what makes it memorable to me is that it feels like a steal.

Things like these are the secret little gems of the “worth it” world — the things that cost you almost nothing but give you a tremendous amount of utility, or enjoyment.

If you get a ton of use out of something, you enjoy it every time you use it and it costs a relatively small amount, it’s going to be “worth it.” That’s a no-brainer. That’s the ice cream scooper.

But many decisions are not so obvious, particularly those in which the cost is high. And that’s when these three functional relationships can help.

In the end, however, your answer is the only one that will count. And the next time you are about to ask someone else, “Is it worth it?” don’t.

]]>http://theSUNK.com/2016/07/why-the-barbershop-can-save-black-men-dr-joseph-ravenell.html/feed0The Top Ice Cream Truck Treats, from FirstWeFeasthttp://theSUNK.com/2016/07/the-top-ice-cream-truck-treats-from-firstwefeast.html
http://theSUNK.com/2016/07/the-top-ice-cream-truck-treats-from-firstwefeast.html#commentsWed, 06 Jul 2016 21:46:42 +0000http://theSUNK.com/?p=404512. The Original Good Humor calls this bar The Original—vanilla ice cream with a hard chocolate shell. Safe to say it’s a classic I will not be passing on to my progeny. While I’m not advocating for artisanal ice cream here, the stuff made you crave water after every bite. Classics should be simple, agreed, …

12. The Original

Good Humor calls this bar The Original—vanilla ice cream with a hard chocolate shell. Safe to say it’s a classic I will not be passing on to my progeny. While I’m not advocating for artisanal ice cream here, the stuff made you crave water after every bite. Classics should be simple, agreed, but The Original hits the same dull note over and over again.

11. Chocolate Eclair

Whenever this is handed to me, I always think to myself, “Why am I not eating strawberry shortcake?” The chocolate overpowers the cake crumbs, which is the only redeeming part of this bar. Also, we’re talking ice-cream truck ice cream here—dropping the word “eclair” isn’t going to sway anyone.

10. The King Cone

This is a poor man’s version of the original Drum Stick—the peanut-coated ice cream ball that is sometimes filled in the center with chocolate or caramel. While this cone was lined with chocolate, it wasn’t nearly as crunchy as its competitor. Plus the peanuts tasted like they were sprayed with bleach.

9. Cyclone

Certainly flashier looking when compared to its brother Big Stick, the swirl design ensures that you taste all flavors in every bite. But it lacks the icy component that you want in a popsicle; it’s more slushy if anything.

8. Oreo Bar

It’s essentially a McFlurry in bar form—crunchy Oreo bits, perfectly coated over a hard chocolate shell. But in all honesty, McD’s does it better.

7. Big Stick

The most patriotic of the bunch, the Big Stick harkens back to scorching hot summer camp days when the thought of melty chocolate running down your elbows was something to avoid at all costs. My main man here Big Stick quenches thirst.

6. Coconut

These paletas always boast a super concentrated flavor; that’s a good quality to have, especially when there are surprise shreds of coconut to dig out.

5. Ice Cream Sandwich

The ice cream sandwich is like my favorite diner back in Los Angeles: my memories of it are always fonder than the food that’s put on my plate. Do I keep going back? Do I keep insisting it’s one of the greats? Hell yeah I do.

4. Strawberry Shortcake

Always my grandma’s favorite, the strawberry shortcake is one of the GOAT ice-cream bars. It doesn’t matter that the strawberry doesn’t taste like the actual fruit—it’s just tart enough to offset the richness from the cake crumbs. Don’t argue with Nana, anyway. It’s not polite.

3. SpongeBob SquarePants

The genre of character ice-cream bars is a truck staple—from Bugs Bunny, to Mickey Mouse, they’ve long held court as the OGs. That alone makes them a top-five contender. The stoner humor of this Nickelodeon legend gets an extra dose of love thanks to its deformed shape and its commonality with Kool-Aid more so than with ice cream. Buckteeth and all, we all know the real prize here is the bleeding, blue gumball eye.

2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich

While it’s true I’m partial to cookie and ice-cream combos (remember the WWE bars?), the chocolate chip cookie sandwich hits everything I’m looking for: chewy, slightly salty cookies, crunchy mini chips, and the right melt factor. Melt factor, you ask? We all know that the thaw rate of ice cream varies widely. The melt factor of this ice cream is steady, meaning it won’t turn into a dripping mush. The architecture is sound; the cookie house has good bones.

1. Snow Cone

The Snow Cone holds a special place among fans who understand that you can really only find this particular species at the neighborhood truck. The tri-color cone reads strawberry, blue raspberry, and lemon, but what you’re really tasting is sugar, not any distinct flavor. That’s forgiven because the Snow Cone uses the best type of ice: the chipped, flakey kind that you find at your local diner. Veterans of the trade know to show patience, for at the bottom—after hacking away shards of ice—is a sweet, purple elixir; a welcome shot you can throw back after a hard day’s work.

]]>http://theSUNK.com/2016/07/the-top-ice-cream-truck-treats-from-firstwefeast.html/feed0OITNB Taystee & Poussey Attempt to Make Mac & Cheesehttp://theSUNK.com/2016/07/oitnb-taystee-poussey-attempt-to-make-mac-cheese.html
http://theSUNK.com/2016/07/oitnb-taystee-poussey-attempt-to-make-mac-cheese.html#commentsWed, 06 Jul 2016 16:13:53 +0000http://theSUNK.com/?p=4038If you’re still heartbroken after watching season four of Orange in the New Black, there’s nothing like a little comfort food to help ease the pain. Danielle Brooks and Samira Wiley present “The Pasty Show” where instead of serving time as Taystee and Poussey in Litchfield Penitentiary, they’re serving up orange and black mac and …

If you’re still heartbroken after watching season four of Orange in the New Black, there’s nothing like a little comfort food to help ease the pain. Danielle Brooks and Samira Wiley present “The Pasty Show” where instead of serving time as Taystee and Poussey in Litchfield Penitentiary, they’re serving up orange and black mac and cheese. [link]

]]>http://theSUNK.com/2016/07/oitnb-taystee-poussey-attempt-to-make-mac-cheese.html/feed0Guest Post: Why Didn’t My Long Distance Relationship Work?http://theSUNK.com/2016/06/why-didnt-my-long-distance-relationship-work.html
http://theSUNK.com/2016/06/why-didnt-my-long-distance-relationship-work.html#commentsThu, 30 Jun 2016 20:19:24 +0000http://theSUNK.com/?p=3978When I said “see you later” to my companion, “absence makes the heart grow fonder” became my mantra. I was headed off to graduate school in England, and though my program was 9 months, I was convinced that FaceTime dates, calls, post cards and text messages would help keep the fire alive. I was wrong. …

When I said “see you later” to my companion, “absence makes the heart grow fonder” became my mantra. I was headed off to graduate school in England, and though my program was 9 months, I was convinced that FaceTime dates, calls, post cards and text messages would help keep the fire alive. I was wrong.

We underestimate how much spending face to face time with those we care about matters. In order to cultivate a healthy relationship, it’s important that both people communicate what their needs or wants are. The key word here being “communicate”. Communication proved to be a challenge, as my partner and I indirectly debated if frequency of communication or quality of communication was most important. He didn’t need to or desire to hear from me every day, whilst I loved to hear the bass of his voice on the other end of the phone regularly. I misread his desire to focus on the quality of our communication as a lack of desire to talk to me and began to wonder if he even truly cared about me. Consequently, I internalized what I perceived to be apathy and called things off.

I realised how much I truly cared about him when I walked away. I did not want my angst to make him unhappy or create more tension in our already dissolving communication. I realised that long distance relationships are challenging as conflict mediation becomes more difficult. Also, not being able to experience life with the person you care about does not make things easier.

Recently, I took a quiz to determine what my love language is and to no surprise, I got “quality time”. Because of the lack of time I was able to spend with my partner, I craved attention and affection through phone calls and text messages, but nothing really sufficed. I felt unsatisfied and even though my partner made attempts to comprise, I felt unfulfilled, because in my eyes, it wasn’t enough.

In short, long distance relationships are demanding. However, if you are willing to listen and respond to your partner’s needs and communicate your own, you just may be able to keep the fire alive.

Do you think you could maintain a long distance relationship? If so, what are some ways you would cope with the distance?

We definitely could count on the internet finding someone to drag with hilarious memes at the BET Awards. Desiigner’s performance supplied Twitter and Instagram with enough memes to hold us til next year. Here are a couple of our favorites: